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About this project

I’m working on Nano Art- customized etchings at the
nano-scale that are done next to or on an everyday macroscopic object. This
juxtaposition of things that we see every day and things that are too small to
see is something I'm calling a 'nano-composition.' I'm hoping to use
Kickstarter to get my work out there and seen by as many people as possible!

I'm not an artist by profession, and I'm not focused on
exhibiting Nano Art. Instead, I want to make
personalized art for you to keep, display, or give as a gift.
Kickstarter gives me the opportunity to offer you these made-to-order pieces
basically at cost, (i.e. without any markups,) with your support acting as a
seed to launch this idea! How cool is that?

These nano-compositions are designed by you, etched by me
with a Focused Ion Beam, and photographed with an electron microscope. They
look awesome on the wall, and they’re fantastic conversation pieces…how many
people do you know with the Mona Lisa one-thousand times smaller than a grain
of rice?

Interested? Read on!

****Updates and Mentions****

Etchings on a hair or the head of a pin are half off!

Those of you directed here through the Geek and Sundry facebook or G+ page check out this gallery of etchings I did for them!

Have a company or a group? See how awesome your Logo can look! Check out the Logo gallery...Science Friday and nanowerk have used the logos I made them for their FB timeline images!

Like Mythbusters? So do I! Check out this gallery for some spiffy nano-mythbusters fun!

****Check the bottom for more!****

Me

First, a
little about myself. I'm a post-doctoral scholar at the California
Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena , California, working in
the field of Nanotechnology. (I graduated with my PhD in applied physics
in June of 2011. My doctoral thesis was titled "Optical, Mechanical,
and Electronic Properties of Etched Silicon Nanopillars." You can find
it here: My Thesis.)
Under an electron microscope, I create tiny etchings that have
practical applications in engineering and medicine. Want to see me in the lab? Check out the video below!

Reloaded?

I had a previous
Kickstarter project, launched in February here. People were fascinated by what I was
making, but they weren’t so keen on expensive modern art with components too
small to see with the naked eye. So I retooled… the object: maximum coolness
for the minimum price! I listened to the great suggestions you made, and was
able to lower my funding goal AND the price for my backer rewards. “Reloaded
“means you get something for ANY amount of backing, and you can have whatever
you want etched into silicon, next to a hair or grain of salt or sand, for
less than half the previous
amount! Also…I adjusted the actual reward:
now you’ll get a beautiful photograph of the nano-composition for your
viewing pleasure. For those of you who would still like to have the actual
etched chip, we can make it even cooler by including it, and framing it all
together.

The Project

One day it occurred to me to use the Focused Ion Beam for something
other than Science..."Nano-Art!" A gallium atom would be the pencil
or paint, and a minuscule chip of silicon the canvas. On a whim, I replicated 3
of Monet's “Water Lillies”, side by side on a silicon chip about 75 microns
wide, (or about the width of a hair.) I
presented the etched chip mounted on a print of the three images, in a frame,
as a gift. The response to my first attempt at Nano-Art was: “HOW COOL!”

I’d like to fund a project that would let me expand the
artistic potential of the scientific technology I have at hand. Honestly, a grain of salt or an eyelash looks
totally different at the nano-scale. Consider this: an object you normally see
as tiny (a hair, a grain of salt, or sand,) is HUGE compared to things made in
the nano-world. It can completely change the way you look at things around you,
I know it did for me. Why do we care
about the nano-world, you ask? Well… every bit of the technology so essential
for functioning, including the computer that you're using now, is made with electronic
devices that are the size of the etchings in this project!

The Art

The
possibilities of what can be etched are as limitless as the imagination-
iconic portraits, classical paintings, LOLcats, quotations, even personalized
photos can be etched. I plan to use silicon, platinum and gold, as my "canvas." You can choose to get a print of one of the pre-made compositions (check
out the “Backer Gallery,”) OR you can send me a picture and I'll etch it next to the object of your choice! Here are some examples:

President Obama and a grain of salt

Etching of the iconic Shepard Fairey Obama campaign poster next to a single grain of salt.

Detail of the etching itself.Notice that at this magnification the grain of salt looks like a rock wall.

Seurat's "La Grande Jatte" and an eyelash

Seurat's famous pointillist painting "A Sunday
Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte." The painting is etched next
to my eyelash, and the bottom picture shows the etching itself in detail.

Nano Art on the head of a pin

That's right, that is the title of this project etched into the side of the head of a pin! Each letter is half the width of a hair

So that I don't overwhelm this page, here’s a link to the
growing collection of images I’ve etched, and nano-compositions I ‘ve already
put together. These range from inspirational portraits that juxtapose the large
and the small, to random stuff I found on the internet and etched into silicon.
(Including the world's smallest LOLcat and HAHA guy!)

This is a link to the gallery from which you can choose
postcards or prints! These images were specifically chosen from the Gallery of
Images. Stay tuned...if inspiration strikes, this collection will expand!

The Package

For those of you who decide to support the project at the
level of $100 or greater, you’ll get a glossy print of your customized etching,
with the chip mounted on the print, all of it beautifully framed. So not only do
you get art to hang on your wall, you also get your very own sample of
nanotechnology! This is what a template for the framing would look like:

with the chip mounted within the white square. (The chip is 1/2 the size of the box to create a nice border). This is how it looks as a final product:

NOTE: This is NOT the frame that the prints will be framed in! Backers will have 3 frame styles to choose from: classic
wood, romantic, or modern and images of these will be posted as soon as possible.

Limited Run Awesomeness

To
increase the personalized coolness factor, as a limited run offer, you can etch
words or line drawings into either a hair or a pin! I’ll send you an an
electron microscope photo of your creation. It's perfect for company logos and who wouldn't want their name on the head of a pin or on a hair? Here is a taste:

The logo of one of my favorite NPR shows etched into a hair! They used it for their facebook timeline picture!

Friends of the project :

A big thank you to the following people for posting/tweeting this project! I am eternally grateful!

Thank you!

FAQ

Rewards

You selected

Pledge $1 or more

9 backers

Any support is, of course, greatly appreciated and I would hate for you to go home empty handed. So for your contribution you will receive all the images from the "Backer Gallery" via email! Make a screensaver and impress your friends...Everyone at every level gets this reward!

Estimated delivery:May 2012

You selected

Pledge $10 or more

7 backers

You get a 4" x 6" postcard printed with your choice of one of the 'nano-compositions' created for this project. Perfect for framing or sending to someone special! (You can find the images in the Backer Gallery) You also get all the images from the Backer Gallery emailed to you in all their glory!

Estimated delivery:Jul 2012

You selected

Pledge $20 or more

0 backers

You get three 4" x 6" postcards printed with your choice of three of the 'nano-compositions' created for this project. Keep them and frame them or give them to someone special! (You can find the images in the gallery) You also get all the images from the Backer Gallery emailed to you in all their glory!

Estimated delivery:Jul 2012

You selected

Pledge $25 or more

2 backers

You get a beautiful 8" x 10" glossy print of your choice of one of the 'nano-compositions' created for this project WITH the option of false coloration! This looks great in a frame on a wall or on a desk! (You can find the images in the Backer Gallery) You also get all the images from the Backer Gallery emailed to you in all their glory!

Estimated delivery:Aug 2012

You selected

Pledge $35 or more

0 backers

Super size the awesomeness! You get a beautiful 11" x 14" glossy print of your choice of one of the 'nano-compositions' created for this project WITH the option of false coloration! This looks great in a frame on a wall or on a desk! (You can find the images in the Backer Gallery) You also get all the images from the Backer Gallery emailed to you in all their glory!

Estimated delivery:Aug 2012

You selected

Pledge $50 or more

2 backers

You get to send me an image of your choice and I will etch it onto a silicon chip next to a grain of salt, an eyelash or a grain of sand. You get to pick! What you'll receive is an 8" x 10" glossy print of this personalized 'nano-composition.' Remember the image can be of anything and can contain text AND pictures. This looks great on a wall!

Estimated delivery:Aug 2012

You selected

Pledge $75 or more

0 backers
Limited (20 left of 20)

The awesomeness factor keeps increasing and now they're HALF-OFF...You get to have your name or company logo carved into a hair or on the head of a pin. See the project gallery for examples of both! You get a framed 11" x 14" glossy print of an incredibly cool looking etching! (Out of necessity these etchings are limited to simple line drawings and text of less than 30 characters)

Estimated delivery:Aug 2012

You selected

Pledge $100 or more

14 backers
Limited (86 left of 100)

You get to send me an image of your choice and I will etch it onto a silicon chip next to a grain of salt, an eyelash or a grain of sand. You get to pick! What you'll receive is an 8" x 10" glossy print of this personalized 'nano-composition' AND the chip mounted in the same frame. (See the section "The Package" for an example) Not only can you have anything etched into silicon but you also get the chip so you can point out to your impressed friends where the carving has been done! Remember the image can be of anything and can contain text AND pictures. This makes a fantastic present! (I speak from experience!)

Estimated delivery:Sep 2012

You selected

Pledge $200 or more

0 backers
Limited (100 left of 100)

You get to send me an image of your choice and I will etch it onto a GOLD coated silicon chip next to a grain of salt, an eyelash or a grain of sand. You get to pick! What you'll receive is an 8" x 10" glossy print of this personalized 'nano-composition' AND the chip mounted in the same frame. (See the project description for an example) The gold gives the chip an awesome finish and protects the surface from oxidation forever! Remember the image can be of anything and can contain text AND pictures. This looks great on a wall!

Estimated delivery:Aug 2012

You selected

Pledge $300 or more

1 backer
Limited (49 left of 50)

You get to send me an image of your choice and I will etch it onto a PLATINUM coated silicon chip next to a grain of salt, an eyelash or a grain of sand. You get to pick! What you'll receive is an 8" x 10" glossy print of this personalized 'nano-composition' AND the chip mounted in the same frame. (See the project description for an example) The platinum gives the chip an shiny silver finish and protects the surface from oxidation forever! Remember the image can be of anything and can contain text AND pictures. This looks great on a wall!

Estimated delivery:Aug 2012

You selected

Pledge $1,000 or more

0 backers
Limited (10 left of 10)

Work with me! You and I can work together to make a fully personalized piece-- we can choose the chip material, the pattern, the size and any number of features including the mounting style! So long as it is physically possible I'll make it happen! Each piece comes with a signed certificate of authenticity and a personalized thank you from me! Due to the time intensive nature of this process there are a limited number of chips that will be produced at this price!

Estimated delivery:Aug 2012

You selected

Pledge $5,000 or more

0 backers
Limited (5 left of 5)

You get it all! Come visit me and we'll spend a day together developing your personalized piece! Along with working with me on your customized piece your day will include a fully hands-on tour of our clean room fabrication facilities where you will get to play with everything from plasmas to polymers!